


Only If I'm in the Mood

by RealismNotSexism



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, F/M, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, No Smut, Romance, Trick Or Treat Prompts Challenge, Trick or Treating, cute and fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27027433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealismNotSexism/pseuds/RealismNotSexism
Summary: In this modern alternate universe, Rey and Ben work together in a coffee shop and a Halloween romance buds.This is a one shot and is my first non-smutty story. I love fluff, so this was a nice break from my usual stuff! I hope you like it! On that note, I rated this as Teen and up because of one sentence where I insinuate a sexual attraction. Please let me know if I need to adjust this rating, as I'm not used to writing this kind of content.I always love comments and kudos, so thank you for all your continued support of my content.Subscribe to my account for updates or find me on Twitter @feministfanfictionP.S. How do you come up with good titles *cries externally*
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	Only If I'm in the Mood

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a Halloween prompt by screenwritingdyke on Tumblr: “Aren’t you a little too old to be trick or treating?”

“I’m gonna be late,” Rey groaned to herself between shallow breaths. The cool autumn breeze whipped her ponytail from side to side as she sprinted the last block to the café. She flicked her wrist to check her watch. Three minutes. Shit. She rounded the street corner at a wide angle and pushed her way past angry pedestrians, some of whom she recognized as regulars. Before she could stop herself, she smacked hard into a glass-paneled door as someone exited the café.

She fell to the ground and cupped her nose with one hand, and her eyes welled up with tears against her will. “Shit,” she said out loud this time.

“I’m so sorry!” said a hand that reached out to help her.

She took the hand wordlessly. The hand’s owner was gorgeous, tall and broad with thick black hair that hung about his ears in a purposefully messy sort of way. “Thanks,” she muttered sheepishly. She brushed the dirt from her pants and she saw, before she felt, a drop of blood fall to the sidewalk. Her hand rushed to pinch the bridge of her nose and she tilted her head back. “Oh, god I’m such a mess!”

The man chuckled and agreed, and she couldn’t tell whether he was confused or concerned. “I’ll go grab you some napkins,” he said, turning back inside before she could protest.

Why is this always so romantic in movies? This fucking sucks. She stole a glance at her watch. She was officially late.

That was the first night she met Ben Solo, but they soon became friendly without the need for accidental violence. Though Rey was prone to slip on mopped floors and break a few mugs from time to time, none of these were his fault.

While he looked like the quiet, brooding type, he was chatty and charismatic. In a matter of weeks, customers began to ask if Ben was working when they came in. They claimed he made the best coffee, but Rey knew it was because he had a way of making people feel special. Not in a skeevy way, but because when you talked, he listened. He remembered people’s orders and the names to write on them and threw in an extra shot of espresso or a dollop of whipped cream for free when he could get away with it. Rey found it incredibly annoying that an almost minimum wage employee could perform his duties so, well, dutifully, but he was nice and hadn’t hit on her yet, so he was infinitely better than most of her other coworkers.

They chatted in their downtime, which ebbed and flowed, but they looked forward to the spells without customers.

“So, why’re you here?” he asked one night, drying a mug with a towel.

Rey didn’t attempt to hide the smile that came whenever he asked about her. “I’m in grad school, so I’m working here until that pans out. I’ve got an internship during the day, butit doesn’t pay.” It was easy to talk to Ben. “I was supposed to do my homework while I worked, but then you got hired.”

“I have a way of talking people into a corner," he joked. "What’re you going for?” He moved onto restocking their supplies. After a heated discussion several nights prior, Rey begrudgingly agreed to let him restock only after she was convinced that he knew she was strong enough to carry the boxes on her own. He just happened to be tall enough to reach them without a stool.

“Counseling.”

“That’s really cool. So, you want to be a therapist?”

“Yeah,” she said with suspicion in her voice. “You’re not afraid I’m going to psychoanalyze you or something?” It was always difficult to convince new people that she had much better things to do than analyze them for free. This may or may not have been the reason Rey was single, though not for lack of trying.

He laughed and shook his head no.

“What about you? Why are you here?”

“Same reason as you. I’m getting a master’s in family therapy believe it or not,” he called from the back.

Rey did not believe it. “I don’t believe you. That’s too coincidental.”

“Hey, take it up with the powers that be.” He carried a heavy box full of different syrups and set it on the counter.

Still unconvinced, she tested him. “So you know about systems theory?”

For the rest of the night, they compared their classes, their programs, and debated the efficacy of various theories. Through the coming weeks, they continued to find commonalities. For example, they both had pets. Ben, a ginger cat, and Rey, a pit bull, both rescues, and each was fond of both cats and dogs. They both liked musicals, and when their boss, Hux, left each night, they sang a medley of show tunes into the end of broomsticks and mops.

They also differed. Rey liked tea and Ben coffee. Ben didn’t like punk rock and Rey did. Rey liked horror movies and Ben sort of liked them when he was in the mood, but no gore. Even their differences spawned interesting conversation.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. But the cinematography was great.” Ben enunciated every other word with a flourish of his hand.

“I mean, if you like patriarchal, “My style is so pronounced you can’t see the film,” cinematography, then sure. It’s great.”

They rarely came to agree after such heated debates, but they never offended. Before too long, Rey’s heart skipped with anticipation every time Hux released the schedule.

Nearly a month after she ran into Ben, it was the Friday before Halloween. That night, they were scheduled to close the night shift, but Rose worked with them for a few hours to help manage the late-October demand for fall flavors. Ben was somewhat withdrawn when Rey came in four minutes late. She looked forward to his impersonation of Hux when she clocked in late, his effort greater with each minute past the hour. His peculiar behavior continued into their shift, and though she chalked it up to him having a bad day, he was just as friendly with Rose and the customers.

After three hours of awkwardness, Rose's shift was over. When the front door shut behind her, a terrible silence filled the room.

“So, Rey.” He began.

“Yeah?”

“Do you have any Halloween plans? I saw that you’re off on the schedule.” He knelt down and buried his face in a cabinet pretending to rearrange its contents.

“Yeah, actually. I take my little sister trick or treating every year.” She couldn’t see his face sink behind the cabinet, but she saw his body slump.

“Oh, that’s cool. How old is she again?”

“Eight. I still can’t believeit,” she said slowly, skeptical of the sudden change in mood. Her eyebrows knit together, and she leaned down. “Do you need help finding something?”

He jumped, murmured that he did not need help, and scrambled up. He leaned his elbow on the counter in feigned nonchalance.

“What about you?” she asked.

“Just handing out candy. I kind of decorate my whole yard and it’s this big spooky thing in my neighborhood.”

“That sounds amazing! My sister’s always too scared to go to those houses,” she said rolling her eyes. “When I was her age, I was watching Halloween.”

His tense composure finally broke and he chuckled. “Rey, as a professional in training, that may be why you’re so fucked up.”

“No psychoanalyzing!” she yelled and punched him in the arm.

On Halloween night, Rey’s sister, Sarah, held a hand-drawn map in front of her. “Turn here!” she commanded. They spent a good two hours before trick or treatingplanning out their route to maximize the candy payload, and they were nearing the end. Rey tousled her hair and allowed her to lead on. She tore ahead in her makeshift Beast Boy costume, the $1 can of hairspray covering her blonde hair in a crusty layer of neon green from root to tip.

Sarah always chose their costumes every September based on her latest obsession. One year, they made the mistake of buying her costume in May, and by the time September rolled around, Sarah claimed she didn’t ever remember liking My Little Pony, not that Rey was complaining that she didn't have to dress up as Fluttershy. This year, Sarah's September obsession was the Teen Titans, specifically Beast Boy. She donned black leggings and a black turtleneck, over which she wore a purple leotard, and an old pillowcase ("Because you can carry the most candy this way"). Rey tagged along as Starfire, and doing her best to make the outfit family friendly, she wore a purple halter top and skirt, and purple thigh-high boots that zipped up the back. She even dyed her hair red and found a silver belt and gloves to accessorize the look. The pair took Halloween seriously.

They walked up to the first house on the block and Sarah froze. “Can we go to the next one, please?” she asked, grabbing hold of Rey’s hand.

Rey suppressed a frustrated sigh. “Of course. But you know, you won’t be alone when you go up there. Don’t you think Starfire and Beast Boy can handle some scary Halloween decorations?” She poked Sarah in the ribs, and a smile snuck onto her face that quickly gave way to grave seriousness.

“But what if they aren’t just decorations?”

“Then we'll kick some ass!" Rey exclaimed. Rey leaned into the comedic value of an older sibling disobeying Mom by mildly cursing. "Believe me, I’ve kicked a lot of ass in my day. You wouldn’t believe how many asses I kicked just last week!”

Sarah laughed openly now and paused to eye her suspiciously. “Have you really kicked a lot of,” she dropped her voice to an imperceptible whisper, but Rey surmised she had said “ass.”

In fact, Rey had never kicked anyone’s ass, but she didn’t think that was relevant information at the moment. “Yes,” she nodded with confidence, her free hand on her hip. To Sarah, she looked like a real superhero.

“Okay,” she said, her shoulders climbing up to her ears in anxiety. “But you have to hold my hand the whole time, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

The superhero duo embarked up the driveway. Really, embarked is a generous word as the driveway was quite short. But to Sarah, it was miles long and full of hidden terrors. Fog shrouded the happenings of monsters and ghosts. Skeletons popped up and clutched at their ankles as they passed. Red eyes glared in the distance and she swore she heard a hungry snarl to accompany them.

Rey couldn’t feel the tips of her fingers anymore, Sarah was holding on so tight, but instead of pulling away, she reassured. “You’re doing great, Sarah.We’re almost there.” Finally, they reached the front door. “You do the honors.” She bowed irreverently at the doorbell.

“I can’t or I’d have to let go of your hand,” she said lifting up her candy bag.

Rey smiled and smothered the sarcastic words of an older sibling. She rang the doorbell. For a moment, nothing happened. “Maybe they’re not-” Then, the porch light flickered on and off, a haunted Halloween soundtrack began, and the front door flung open.

“Who dares disturb my slumber!” The large man raised his hands as if about to strike.

Sarah screamed and dropped her pillowcase, latching onto Rey’s leg.

“Ben?”

“Rey! Oh. Hi!” he stammered. He straightened his posture and stuffed his hands into his pockets. If it weren’t for the four layers of white face paint, she would have seen him blush.

It was strange seeing one another out of work clothes. Not that their costumes were normal clothes, but they were different. Particularly Rey’s, who outfit was fitted and left her torso bare.

Rey bent over in laughter, wholly amazed that Ben had underestimated his “neighborhood spooky thing” so drastically. “Oh my god, Ben. This is hilarious. And awesome,” she said between breaths, wiping a tear from her eye. Ben tried to smile, but it was forced. “Well, it was great seeing you.” He rushed a handful of candy into Sarah's pillowcase and closed the door.

“Well that was rude,” Rey muttered.

“Rey!” Sarah pulled on the cuff of Rey's skirt.

“What is it?”

“Down here!”

Rey got on one knee and leaned in close, and Sarah cupped her hands around her ear. “I peed my pants.” 

Rey was no stranger to Halloween potty accidents. After all, she had been taking Sarah trick or treating since her first Halloween. But in the past, their mom had been there to handle the mess. She much preferred being the fun big sister. She heard Sarah sniffle and pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s okay,” she soothed, rubbing a hand on her back. “The guy who lives here is my coworker. Would it be okay if I told him? Maybe he could help?”

Sarah shuddered at the thought of telling a perfect stranger that she had peed her Beast Boy pants, but she agreed with the slow nod of her head.

Rey stood, tousled her hair in her reflection on the windowpane, and rang the doorbell. She stuck her face in the window so Ben could see it was her again.

“Hey.” His eyes shifted from Rey’s face to Rey’s costume back to Rey’s face and down to the crying child. “Shit,” he said apologetically. “Did I make her cry?”

“Yes and no, I guess. She, uh. She peed her pants. And I was hoping we could come in for a minute to get her cleaned up?”

A look of terror crossed Ben’s face. He shook his head to rid himself of the expression, but it stayed. “Sure,” he said weakly.

“Thanks a million, Ben, I owe you one.”

He gestured them inside and Rey wasn’t surprised by what she saw. A few empty beer bottles on the coffee table, a million more coffee mugs. Papers and notebooks and textbooks littered the dining table, and through the opening ahead, she could see a clean, but unkempt kitchen. “You’ve got a nice place,” she said, and she meant it.

“I’m sorry it’s so messy.” He fought the urge to tidy up wherever her eyes gazed.

“Hey, it’s no worse than mine. Us grad students have to stand up for one another.”

He smiled. “Let’s get her cleaned up.”

“Good news is Mom packed a backup set of clothes just in case. This is why she’s a mom and I’m not.”

The doorbell rang and he pointed to a door in the far corner of the room. “That’s the bathroom. There should be a clean towel on the rack. I don’t really know what else you need to be honest.”

“Go!” She waved him to the front door.

The doorbell rang a second time, and when he was sure Rey wasn't looking, he pressed a button, flickered the lights, breathed in a lung full of air, and opened the door with the same expression as before. Rey, of course, had stopped to watch the whole thing. She thought it was adorable.

Momentary distraction aside, she ushered Sarah into the bathroom. When they came out, Rey noticed there were fewer beer bottles on the table and some of the mugs had gravitated to the kitchen. Ben sat on the couch watching Children of the Corn. “Thanks so much.” She stood with her hand on Sarah’s shoulder and squeezed. 

“Yes, thank you,” Sarah mumbled.

“I thought you didn’t like horror?” Rey asked with a smirk.

“I told you I do sometimes but only when I’m in the mood. Seeing as it’s Halloween, I’m in the mood.”

“I’ll be doing the same once this child’s home.” Rey glanced at her watch. “Shit. It’s 8!”

Sarah’s eyes widened. She had missed the last 30 minutes of Halloween all because she told her sister she peed her pants.

“Damn. Well…” he began. He looked at the despondent young girl. “I bought way too much candy this year.” He picked up the plastic bowl and shuffled its contents around. “Let’s see. We have milk duds-”

“Gross,” Rey coughed into her hand.

Ben tossed her a look and continued. “Nerds, Smarties, Milkways-”

“Milkyways!” This time it was Sarah who interrupted him. “I’m obsessed with Milkyways!”

Rey urged her forward and Ben set the bucket on the ground. “It’s all yours for the taking.”

Rey mouthed an emphatic “Thank you” at him and watched the movie while she waited for Sarah to raid his stash.

“You can sit down if you want,” he offered.

“No, that’s okay. We have to get her home or mom’s gonna kill me. She’s already gonna kill me for taking her to a scary house.”

“Good luck. I’m not complaining that I’m 500 miles from home.”

A few minutes later, Sarah ran over to Rey with the weighted down pillowcase. "I've never gotten so much candy before!" she squealed.

"I won't tell Mom you ate some before you got home," she teased, noting the smudges of chocolate on either side of Sarah's mouth.

Sarah's face fell into abject horror. "You wouldn't!"

"Then you can't tell her I took you to a scary house. Deal?"

"But she'll know I changed clothes!"

"I'll wash them, and she'll never know."

Ben watched this exchange in amazement. He would never have pegged Rey as the type to barter with an eight-year-old to avoid a mild talking to.

"I guess that checks out." She held out her hand, but withdrew it at the last second. "But you have to carry my candy home." Rey groaned, shook her hand, and grabbed the pillowcase from her.

"I'm not sure what I just witnessed, but I think your sister should go into law."

"Yes, she's crafty. Anyway, it was nice seeing you. Thanks again for everything. You really saved the day."

"You're like Robin," Sarah chimed in. Rey couldn't help but read between the lines and prayed that Ben didn't watch the show.

Ben chuckled and mumbled something about being too big for the part. "I'll let you get to it then." He walked them to the door and stood there, wanting to stall but not knowing what to say.

Rey, too, paused on the porch. She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for, but the knot in her stomach told her it was for something important. He stood in the doorway and waved. “See you at work tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Bye,” she waved, forcing herself to walk away.

“I think you like him,” Sarah teased.

“I think you like him,” Rey mocked in a high pitched tone.

They reached the street and headed home.

Rey looked at her watch. 9:58 PM. It was chilly outside in her costume, and she pulled her jacket tight around her. Light was flashing through the windows, likely the TV. That means he’s probably still up.Her heart pounded in her ears. She pressed her finger against the doorbell and waited. She looked at her watch again out of nervous habit. Still 9:58 PM. He’s probably asleep, she thought dismayed. I’m a freaking stalker.

She was seconds away from leaving when the door opened. Ben looked more surprised to see her now than he did before. “Rey?”

“Hey.” She squirmed awkwardly, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. “Um, when you asked me before about my plans for Halloween. Were you asking because you were curious or because…”

“Uh, actually I was asking you out.” He gripped the hair on the back of his head, frozen in place.

“God, I’m so stupid,” Rey muttered to herself. “Why didn’t you ask me to do something else?”

“I hadn’t worked up the guts for that yet. Or planned the conversation.”

“Huh.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“Since I still haven’t worked up the guts, how about I stick with what I’ve got?”

“Okay,” Rey smiled.

“What are your plans for Halloween?”

“Hmmm. I'm usually with my little sister, but at the moment, I’m actually free.”

“Really? That’s convenient. Because I’m free, too. I was just watching some horror movie marathon on TV. I usually don’t like horror but it’s Halloween so I’m in the mood for it.”

Rey laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That sounds great.As long as you don’t mind me being in a costume for our first date. I didn’t have time to go home and change.”

“I’m still in mine. I’d feel weird if you weren’t.”

“Okay then,” she said, bumping his arm as she walked inside. “What’s on TV?”


End file.
